Atka mackerel rice pot set after a Baegun Lake walk, Uiwang

I took my parents out for a cozy family dinner!

It had been a while since our schedules all lined up, so I was racking my brain over where to eat~ The weather was pleasantly cool with a nice breeze, so we started with a walk on the Baegun Lake trail!!

While looking for a Baegun Lake restaurant that would suit my parents' taste and sit easy on the stomach for dinner, this place caught my eye — Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Baegun Lake Branch!

How to walk from the Baegun Lake trail to Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo in 20 minutes

We walked slowly from the Baegun Lake trail toward Neungan Village, enjoying the breeze. It took about 20 minutes to reach the restaurant! We got to take in the scenery along the way and got a bit of exercise in too — a decent distance for a pre-dinner workout (?) haha

When we headed home after the meal, there was a bus stop right in front of the store, so we could hop straight on a bus and get home easily.

The parking lot is spacious too, so you wouldn't have to worry even on a weekend!!

Inside Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Baegun Lake Branch: tile-roof decor and private rooms

From the outside, it's a proper Korean set-meal restaurant!! With its tile-roofed interior, it felt like a little getaway, which made it even more relaxing!! I've been to other branches of Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo, but this is the cleanest one I've seen!!

Above all, the staff greeted us so warmly right from the entrance, which put me in a good mood the moment we walked in haha

The interior was spacious and pleasant, and thanks to what must be good ventilation, there was no fishy smell or smoky haze at all!! The floors and tables were kept spotless too, so it seemed like a place that really cares about cleanliness~

It seems like a great spot for a family gathering, a proper meal with parents, or even a group get-together!

There's also a separate private room space like this!!

We went for the window seat with a view of the earthenware jars~!!

Seeing the fish being grilled inside the wood-fired oven with my own eyes made me even more excited for the meal haha

What is on the self-serve side dish bar?

In the center of the dining room there was a separate self-serve bar where you could help yourself to as many extra side dishes as you liked.

The self-serve bar area was kept clean too, and staff regularly checked and refilled it so nothing ran out.

Fresh wrap vegetables, warm japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), kimchi pancakes, and all sorts of side dishes!!

What we ordered: two rice pot sets and the signature stamina set for two

We combined a barley corvina rice pot set, an atka mackerel rice pot set, and this restaurant's signature stamina set for two!

A napa cabbage soybean paste soup comes as standard, and it's great for warming up your stomach

The kimchi pancake and jelly are unlimited refills too, and they were tastier than expected, so haha, we went back for more!

This set is a hearty stamina spread bringing together four different fish dishes on one table: grilled domestic sea eel, nicely browned oily flounder, seasonal braised fish, and plump grilled Norwegian mackerel!!

The seasonal braised fish had a spicy, shallow-broth seasoning that soaked deep into the fish. Mixing the shallow broth with radish into the rice and topping it with fish flesh was genuinely delicious!!! It's a perfect match with the rice pot ❤️

Wood-fired atka mackerel rice pot set

Atka mackerel has thick, mild flesh, so I already liked it — but grilled in the wood-fired oven, the skin turned crispy and the flesh glossy!! It was seasoned just right, savory enough to eat the fish on its own without rice!!

Wood-fired barley corvina rice pot set

The barley corvina (dried yellow corvina marinated in barley) came pre-shredded along the grain, and it was funky and savory in the best way!! Ordering barley corvina comes with a side of cool green tea to pour over rice. We scooped rice from the pot into a bowl, poured over the cool green tea, and topped it with a savory piece of barley corvina to eat together!!

What comes in the signature stamina set for two

The domestic sea eel included in the set is grilled plain, so dipping each piece in the sauce on the side gave a real energy boost haha

The flounder and mackerel were so meaty that honestly, this could pass for a set for three!!

The seasoned lotus root and pickles were the perfect side to go with the fish too!!

Grilled sea eel (anago) at Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo

Tender texture with a flavor that got better the more you chewed — it really delivered as a stamina-boosting dish!!

The fish wraps were fresh too, and wrapping them with soybean paste made for a really refreshing, delicious bite!!

Grilled at 500-degree high heat in the wood-fired oven, the skin was as crisp and savory as a cracker, while the flesh stayed moist!! No fishy taste at all, just clean and mild. Taking a big flake of the nicely browned fish and laying it over freshly cooked rice pot rice was !!!!

Freshly cooked rice pot and the scorched rice tea finish

After scooping out the rice, they pour hot water into the pot and let it sit, so you can enjoy sungnyung (scorched rice tea) and nurungji (crispy scorched rice) at the end of the meal — the perfect finish!! Truly a Baegun Lake restaurant that nails it all the way to the last bite haha

There's a bus stop right in front of the store, so we didn't have to wait long before catching a bus straight home!

Is Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo worth it for dinner with parents?

Overall: friendly service, a pleasant and spacious dining room, fish grilled in the wood-fired oven with that crispy-outside, moist-inside finish, and a self-serve bar plus a hearty set menu lineup~~

If you're looking for a place to bring your parents or a proper Korean meal spot for the family near Baegun Lake, I'd definitely recommend this one!!